


Dadventure!

by Alice_h



Series: A Place of Our Own [15]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Humor, Short, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22976863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_h/pseuds/Alice_h
Summary: Bow gets a few bits of advice on fatherhood from Seahawk
Series: A Place of Our Own [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1511849
Comments: 22
Kudos: 19





	Dadventure!

**Author's Note:**

> I'll hold my hands up, this isn't that good, but it is kinda fun. I almost cut this from the series entirely, but instead decided to just plow on through and finish it (which I did in about an hour, so...yeah... not the usual standard!)

“Bow!” Seahawk grinned enthusiastically as he opened the door, “Welcome to the Seahawk School of Dad-ness!”

“I, um…” he should have expected an over-the-top reaction when he asked if he could help look after Finn to prepare him for his own baby. It barely seemed like yesterday that he and Glimmer had first discussed having a child, yet now, as the summer reached its peak, they were over halfway through the pregnancy. It had been a chaotic few months as they rushed to prepare their life for a kid, but Bow was cautiously excited for their new arrival. However, not having any experience of raising a child, or even helping with a younger sibling, he was terrified about failing to know how to care for his child properly. Bow hoped that an afternoon with someone who had their own kid would help him learn about the many hazards that could befall the son or daughter that Glimmer would soon bear.

The older man continued on without the response, “Now, as a registered Dad, I can impart upon you all the wisdom of my experience for child-rearing and girlfriend-supporting. You may have knocked her up, but I will make sure you never knock her down.”

“I… I didn’t… Never mind.”

Seahawk grabbed hold of his shoulders, pulling him back as he thrust an arm into the air, “ONWARD! TO DAD-VENTURE!”

Once again, Bow had no opportunity to react before he found himself being dragged through the hallway and into the living room, where Finn was busy playing with some wooden blocks. The child turned around when he heard them enter, giving the two men a sweet smile and a “gaaa” by way of a welcome to the newcomer.

“Now, Bow,” Seahawk’s arm still draped around his shoulder, “The first thing you need to know is how to pick up the baby. Now you will find that they are very flexible, and you can just grab any old body part. Watch!”

He took hold of Finn’s leg, pulling the child up, although being careful to use his other hand to support the tot’s body. Both of them giggling gleefully, Seahawk held his son upside down to show his student, “See Bow? Anyway up you like!”

“That seems like it might hurt…”

“Nonsense! Does it hurt, Finn?” he swung the child upright and nuzzled into the kid’s chest, “Did it hurt? Did it? Or is Bow just being a worry-wart? I think he is! Here, have a go.”

Seahawk placed Finn back on the floor and stood aside, motioning to the young man to pick up the child. A much more cautious Bow crouched down, sliding a hand under each of the kid’s arms and lifting him up, supporting him from underneath when Finn was high enough.

“Was that right? I didn’t drop him, so that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Stellar work, Bow!” he enthused, “Mermista does _not_ like it if you drop him, take it from my experience. But it is time for another lesson. Carry the child into the kitchen for lesson TWO! FORWARD!”

He disappeared out of the room, and Bow followed along behind, making nonsense sounds at Finn, who seemed to enjoy it. Upon arrival in the kitchen, Seahawk was unfolding a highchair, then took hold of his son and strapped the boy in.

“The second most important thing of Dad-idity is ensuring that your child is appropriately nourished. Watch and learn as I demonstrate the optimum method of food delivery!”

Bow tried to show his keenness to learn, “So this is feeding time? Is it difficult? It seems like it’ll be difficult.”

Seahawk gave a thumbs up whilst rooting through a cupboard behind him and calling out the names of different food jars until Finn responded with a coo. A quick twist of the lid on the selected meal, and his father was poised and ready, somehow wielding a spoon despite Bow not having seen him get one from anywhere.

“Mmmmm, cottage pie! First, the taste test…” Seahawk grabbed a spoonful of orange mush and put it in his mouth, swilling it around like he was tasting a fine wine, “It is perfect!”

“You… you eat that stuff?”

The older man laughed heartily, “But of course! Don’t tell her but this is better than Mermista’s cooking – I’m almost jealous that he gets to eat this, and I don’t.”

“That good, huh?”

“Absolutely!” Seahawk dipped the spoon back into the food and moved it towards his son’s face, “It is time, Finn. Here comes the ship… OH NO! It’s on fire! Quick, put it out with your mouth!”

Despite his adorable chuckling, Finn kept a straight face for long enough to clear the spoon and swallow a mouthful of dinner. His father gave some rapturous applause, then held out the jar for Bow to take his turn.

“Is this too much?” the young man showed a heaped spoonful of the purée to his mentor, worried that he would accidentally end up making Finn choke with excessive food.

“It is far too much,” in one swift motion, Seahawk bent forward and ate the contents of the spoon, “Try again!”

Taking care to extract a little less this time, Bow made his attempt, hovering the food near Finn’s mouth. His words were significantly more nervous than those of Seahawk, “It’s, uh… it’s a ship. An on-fire ship… no, a VERY on-fire ship! Can you put it out?”

In a reaction that seemed to belie Finn’s 12 months of age, the boy looked over at his father and narrowed his eyebrows as if to say ‘ _what is he going on about?’._ He received an over-the-top grin by way of response, which he appeared to take as a prompt to continue, then ate the spoonful Bow was holding out for him.

“Spec-TAC-ular! You know, Bow, you might just have this fatherhood thing nailed down before it even pops out of Glimmer! Which, by the way, I do _not_ recommend seeing. I had nightmares for weeks after seeing Mermista’s unmentionables ga-”

“Will he finish the whole jar?” Bow asked cheerily, desperate not to hear the end of the sentence, “I think I can manage it, right?”

“I think you can, young Bow!”

With Seahawk’s encouragement, he helped Finn finish his dinner with surprisingly little mess, and then hauled the youngster from the chair while the older man wiped off a few stray splatters of cottage pie. When the highchair was folded up again, Seahawk took his son and led Bow into the garden for one final lesson.

“Are we here to learn about safety? Like… hazards and things in the garden?”

“Hazards? Safety?” he spluttered, sounding genuinely incredulous that Bow would ask such a thing, “Babies aren’t about safety, they’re about fun!”

“I’m pretty sure safety is more important.”

Seahawk set Finn down on a blanket that had a few toys spread around, then rested his hand on Bow’s arm. His usual overenthusiastic manner dissipated, replaced by a much more heartfelt disposition, “Bow… Becoming a father is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I was like you, utterly terrified that the slightest hair out of place on his head was a sign that I had messed up and he’d be seriously injured or killed. But that cautiousness is what reassured me that I would be a good dad. Yes, I know I might act the fool sometimes-”

“All the time.”

“Fair point. Look, I’m always thinking about Finn’s safety, but the most important thing is to enjoy spending time with your kid. Have fun! They really are a lot hardier than you imagine, and as long as you aren’t letting them play with live wires or knives or whatever, nothing bad will happen. Don’t let your worries get in the way of the most magical time of your life.”

Bow blushed, slightly embarrassed at the realisation that he’d forgotten such a vital aspect of fatherhood, “So I should stop worrying?”

“Not at all,” Seahawk ruffled Bow’s hair like he was his own child, “Worry, but don’t let worry be the biggest thing. Because you know what becoming a parent is?”

“Terrifying but also amazing?”

“That too. But having a child is the most wonderful thing of all. It’s a DAD-VENTURE!”

**Author's Note:**

> Right, now I can continue with some more dramatic stuff.
> 
> Next time: WEDDINGS! ARGUMENTS! HUNTARA!


End file.
